Car-truck



(No Model.)

LA MARCUS A. THOMPSON.

GAR TRUCK.

A Patented Aug. 25, 1891.

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UNITED STATES PATENT UFE'ICE.

LA MARCUS A. THOIWIPSGN, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

CAR-TRUCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 458,200, dated August 25, 1891. Application led February 26, 1891. Serial No. 382,935. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, LA MARCUS A. THOMP- SON, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway-Car Trucks and in Mechanism Connected Therewith, of which the following is a specification.

In my present invention use is made of twopart trucks, whereof each section is provided with wheels and automatic coupling devices, and is attached to the extremity of a car-body by meansof a king-bolt, so that in practice the respective cars are coupled together by the trucks instead of by the car-bodies.

The principal objects of my present invention are, first, to couple cars together automatically at the trucks instead of at the platforms, and consequently to draw a train of cars bythe trucks instead of by the car-bodies, Y

curves, because the pull exerted by the locomotive tends to straighten the train, and therefore pulls the wheels of the two-part truck away from the outside rail, thus reducing friction and obviating in a greater or less degree so-called flange-strain, which latter, as is Well known, tends to spreadt-he rails of the permanent way or line; second, to provide comparatively simple, efficient, and practical devices for automatically coupling and uncoupling the air-brake pipe, steainconduit, whistle connection, dsc., whenever the trucks are coupled or uncoupled, and, third, to aiford a better and safer construction of vestibule and approaches therefor than has hitherto been possible.

My invention consists of the improvements in railroad cars and trucks hereinafter fully described,and particularly pointed out in the claims.

The nature and characteristic features of my present invention will be more fully understood from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming part hereof, and in which- Figure l is a View, partly in elevation and partly in section, of the adjacent extremities of two cars pivoted, respectively, to the two members comprising` a two-part truck converse section, on an enlarged scale, of an appliance for automatically coupling and uncoupling the air-brake, steam-heat, or Whistle pipe when the cars are either coupled or uncoupled.

In the drawings, a are the extremital portions of two adjacent cars provided, respectively, with an extensible vestibule connection a. These car-bodies are respectively mounted on bolster-beams d2 and d3 and have the corners of their respectivegplatforms cut away at d, Fig. 2, in order to permit a train composed of such cars to traverse curved portions 'of a roadway d5.

b is a two-part truck comprising two sections b2 and h3, provided, respectively, With wheels b, axle-guards b5, axle-boxes b, springs 127, and swing-beams o8. The truck-frame b9 of the truck b is made in two parts Z910 and b, and is preferably composed of boX-girders or hollow beams of any preferred form in crosssection-for example, of wrought-iron pipe.

c, Fig. 3, are drawheads having the respective Shanks thereof fitted into the upper members of the truck-frame ZJ and attached thereto by means of bolts c', connected with bridge-pieces c2 or in any other preferred manner.

c3 are spiral springs coiled around the bolts c and interposed between the bridge-pieces c2 and the extremities of the draw-heads c in order to afford the latter a slight freedom of motion in the direction of the center of the car-that is, toward the right in Fig. I.

c is a shaft supported in suitable journals or bearings attached to the truck-frames bw and provided with gripping devices c5, having hook-shaped projections c6. The hook-shaped projections c6 are adapted to Work in suitable slots c7, formed in the upper members of the truck-frames om, so as to penetrate into the IOO the truck-frames.

interior thereof, Figs. 3 and 4, in order to engage with the draw-heads c when the latter are inserted into the truck-frames 1910, thus firmly attaching the two members b2 and b3 of the truck ZJ together'.

e is an arm attached to the shaft c and connected with a suitable hand-wheel e2, located at the platform of the car, so that the gripping devices c5 may be -raised out of engagement with the draw-heads c by the simple operation of actuating the hand-wheel.

The weight of the gripping devices c5 normally tends to cause the same to assume a downward position for automatically engaging the draw-heads c; but, if preferred, said gripping devices may be provided with suitable means for shifting them downward with a positive motion.

d are bolts having their shanks fitted into the lower members of the truck-frame bu and attached thereto by means of bolts d and bridge-pieces cl2.

cl3 are springs coiled around the Shanks of the bolts d and interposed between the bolts and the bridge-pieces d2 in order to afford the former a slight freedom of motion toward the center of the car-that is, toward the right in Fig. 3. These bolts d penetrate into the interior of the lower members of the truckframe bw when the two sections Z13 and b2 of the truck arecoupled together, in order to support and connect the lower members of If preferred, the bolts d may be provided with draw-heads adapted to engage with suitable gripping devices attached to the lower members of the truckframe blo and actuated by means of the handwheel e2 or in any other preferred manner.

fare king-bolts passing through the bolster-beams o2 and a3 and swing-frames b5, so as to attach the cars to the respective sections ?)2 and b3 in order to permit the latter to swivel freely when the cars are uncoupled and in order to permit the cars to swivel on the truck b when the two sections b2 and b3 are connected together. i The lower extremities of the king-bolts f, located at the opposite extremities of the cars, are connected together by reach-bars f', Figs. 1 and 2, so as to relieve the car-bodies of the strain of the pull of the locomotive or other prime mover.

g and g, Fig. 5, are sections of an air or steam pipe located, respectively, beneath the car-bodies. The section g of this pipe is provided with a loose sleeve g2, having an expanded internally tapering Vextremity o3, adapted for the reception of an externallytapering tip or nozzle g4, attached to the section g.

g5 is a spring coiled around the sleeve g2 and having one extremity in contact with the rim or projection formed upon the extremity g3 of the sleeve and the other extremity thereof in contact with a bracket (6, supported by the swing-beam 198 or in any other preferred manner. This spring g5 serves to force the sleeve g2 outward-that is, Vtoward the left inv Fig. 5-and thus insures a tight joint between the nozzle g4 and expanded extremity g3, so that when the two sections b2 and b3 of the truck are connected together the two sections of pipe g and g .are automatically connected together.

The cars ct are illustrated in the drawings as having diagonally-disposed corner portions t, provided with doors vl for the accommodation of passengers; but these corner-pieces may, if preferred, be disposed in the usual manner. However, the diagonally-disposed corner-pieces not only present an attractive appearance, but also increase the strength and rigidity of the vestibule connection, and therefore preference is given to their employment.

Cars provided with the hereinabove-described two-part trucks may be coupled together automatically by forcing t-he two ad, jacent ends of the cars together in the usual manner, so that the draw-heads c are engaged by the gripping devices c5 and the bolts d engage with the interior portions of the lower members of the truck-frames b1", while at the same time the two sections g and g of the steam or air pipe are automatically connected by means of the sleeve g2, as has been hereinabove explained. After the truck has been coupled together in the manner above described the two members b2 and b3 thereof constitute a solid truck. In the present instance a truck having eight wheels and not exceeding in length an ordinary eight-wheel truck has been shown, and the adjacent extremities of the two cars are connected with said truck by means of separate king-boltsf, so that the cars are rigidly connected together at the trucks.

The cars may be readily uncoupled by liftiug the gripping devices c5 out of engagement with the draw-heads c either by means of the hand-wheel e2 or in any other convenient manner.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art to which my invention appertains that modifications may be made in the details thereof without departing from the spirit of the invention, and hence I do not limit myself to the exact construction and arrangement of the parts hereinabove described; but,

Having thus described the nature and objects of my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. The combination, with cars provided with vestibule connections and steps, of a truck for supporting and connecting adjacent extremities of two cars and comprising two sections, pivoted, respectively, to different cars and composed of a frame having box-girders or hollow beams, draw-heads fitted in and attached to the beams of one of said frames and adapted to enter the corresponding beams of the second frame, gripping devices attached to the beams of the second frame and adapted IOO IIO

to engage said draw-heads, and means for actuating said gripping devices, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. The combination, with cars provided with vestibule connections and steps, of a truck for supporting and connecting the adjacent extremities of two cars and comprising two sections composed, respectively, of a frame having upper and lower girders or beams, draw-heads tted .into and attached to the upper beams of one frame and adapted to enter the corresponding beams of the second frame, bolts attached to the lower beams of 

